Vietnam U23s aim for glory in int’l friendly tournament

Vietnam U23s will try their best to lift the championship trophy in the International U23 Football Tournament – VinaPhone Cup 2018, said Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo during a press briefing ahead of the competition in Hanoi on August 2.

The VinaPhone Cup tournament offers an ideal opportunity for Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo to decide his final 20-man squad for the 2018 Asian Games.

Park spoke of the significance of the event despite its friendly purpose, stating that the performance and form of players throughout the four-team competition will have a direct impact on his choices for Vietnam’s final 20-man squad for the 2018 Asian Games (Asiad 18) in Indonesia.

Reflecting on the determination of the Republic of Korea tactician, Vietnam captain Nguyen Van Quyet, one of the four players aged over 23, said: “The entire team are now in top form. My teammates and I will do our utmost in order to create a psychological hitch for the big goal at the Asiad 18.”

The VinaPhone Cup tournament will take place at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium from August 3 to 7, gathering four U23 teams, including reigning Asian runners-up Vietnam, Palestine, Omar, and reigning Asian champions Uzbekistan.

Among the 26 U23 players of Vietnam’s 30-man squad called up for the event, there are 18 names who contributed to Vietnam’s historic second-place finish at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China at the beginning of the year.

Vietnam’s U23s will play Palestine U23s later today (August 3) before taking on U23 Omar and U23 Uzbekistan on August 5 and 7, respectively.